Ten WHO member states received certificates of achievement at the 79th World Health Assembly on May 19 for eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV, hepatitis B, and syphilis.
Anguilla, Bahamas, Brazil, Cuba, Denmark, Maldives, Montserrat, Oman, Sri Lanka, and Turks and Caicos were recognized for outstanding public health achievements.
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus highlighted the rollout of lenacapavir, a long-acting injectable HIV prevention drug given every six months at an annual cost of just $60.
“Lenacapavir is one of the most powerful and promising tools in the history of HIV,” he said, calling it the next best thing to a vaccine.
Despite the progress, stigma and discrimination remain barriers. Dr. Tereza Kasaeva, Director of WHO's Department on HIV, noted that vulnerable populations-men who have sex with men, young women, children, transgender people, and drug users-still face slower declines in incidence and mortality.
WHO is cautiously optimistic about the Sustainable Development Goal to end the HIV epidemic as a public health threat by 2030. Since 2010, HIV incidence has dropped over 40% and HIV-related deaths over 50%, though the 2030 target is 90% for both.
Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS, warned that funding cuts and rights pushbacks are already costing lives. “This is the moment to choose solidarity,” she said.